News Flash
By S M Zahid Hossain
KHULNA, Feb 16, 2025 (BSS) - Researchers find bright prospect for farming cashew nuts, a high-valued cash crop, in saline-induced lands of the Khulna coastal region.
Rafiqul Islam, a farmer of Shibpur village under Tala upazila in Satkhira, has already achieved huge success in farming the crop under the research of the Agrotechnology Discipline of Khulna University (KU).
While talking to BSS, Rafiqul Islam, also retired army personnel, said he started cultivating cashew nuts on fallow land five years ago.
He said that he was inspired to cultivate cashew nuts by Zakia Sultana, a young female researcher. He brought some seeds from her to grow the cashew nuts as he sold it at Tk 800 to Tk 1000 per kg.
More farmers of Satkhira are showing interest in farming cashew nuts after witnessing his success, he added.
Zakia Sultana started research on cashew nuts cultivation in salty area of Khulna in 2018 in supervision with Dr Monirul Islam, professor of Agrotechnology Discipline of KU and ended last year.
Researchers expected that cashew nut farming will be a commercial initiative if the farmers of the region get proper plan, training and cooperation.
Agriculturist Zakia Sultana, a deputy secretary of the Khulna Development Authority (KDA), obtained PhD degree after completing her research.
During the research period, 22 varieties (Germaplasm) of cashew nut were cultivated on one acre of land in the university area.
Of them, the researcher found four varieties having bright prospect.
Zakia Sultana said: "Through our research, we have proved that it is possible to cultivate cashew nuts in the salty and waterlogged areas of the coastal region”.
A one kilogram of cashew nut sells between Tk 1800 to Tk 2500, depending on the quality, in the country.
Prof Monirul Islam said, "According to the new findings of the research, it is possible to grow cashew nut plants on the saline-induced land of Khulna region."
He said if the cashew nut cultivation becomes popular in the region, a processing factory can be built in Khulna.
Mongla Export Processing Zone (EPZ) could be a very suitable location for setting up a processing plant. If the entrepreneurs come forward, the farmers will become more interested in cultivating this non-traditional agricultural product with immense potentiality.
Prof Islam said that they would send the research findings to the DAE, so that they can help the farmers cultivate cashew nuts more efficiently.
Md Rafiqul Islam, additional director of the Department of the Agriculture Extension (DAE) of Khulna zone, said that there is enough demand for cashew nuts in the country despite its high prices.
"If any farmer of Khulna region is keenly interested in cashew nut cultivation, we will provide them with all kinds of assistance," he said.
When contacted, Rajkeen Shahnewaz, a Nutrition and Food Science physician at Khulna Islami Bank Hospital, said that the cashew nuts have numerous medicinal properties and are beneficial for the human body.
He said cashew nuts contain more Vitamin C than oranges.
